


quit playing games (with my heart)

by bottomoftheheap



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Bodyguard AU, F/M, Royalty AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-25
Updated: 2019-12-25
Packaged: 2021-02-26 03:29:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,698
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21946612
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bottomoftheheap/pseuds/bottomoftheheap
Summary: in which the reader wants to go on an adventure before she becomes queen with her assigned knight, sweet pea.
Relationships: Sweet Pea (Riverdale)/Reader
Kudos: 14
Collections: A Very Merry Serpent Hissmas





	quit playing games (with my heart)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [sweetpeasbabydoll](https://archiveofourown.org/users/sweetpeasbabydoll/gifts).



“Ah, my lovely daughter. What brings you here so early?” 

Your father, the King of Riverdale, sits high on his throne, smile bright and kind. He reaches a hand out to you as you make your way up the small staircase to the throne. You take his hand in yours, squeezing it tightly, puppy dog eyes making an appearance. 

“I don’t like that look on your face,” The king leans back, eyes narrowed as he stares at you. He knows he’s in for quite the request. 

“Listen, Father...”

“Here we go,” The king rolls his eyes, crossing his arms over his chest. 

“I’m going to be crowned queen next week, and I was just hoping…” You rock back and forth on your heels, avoiding eye contact. 

“Out with it, little lady.”

“I’d like to go on an adventure, to see the village. On my own, out in the world. Just give me a week.”

The king bolts up from his throne, “Absolutely not! Are you daft, girl? That is a terrible, unsafe idea!”

“But Father!”

“No buts! To your room, now. Don’t come back down until you’ve gotten some sense! Sweet Pea!” The king snaps, calling his trusted knight to attention, “Escort my daughter back to her room.”

Sweet Pea nods, marching his way over to you, reaching a hand out to place gently on your elbow. You jerk away from him, glaring him down as you stomp away on your own, leaving him to scramble after you. 

“That was a silly request, (Y/N),” Sweet Pea says, as you get out of earshot of the king, “You knew deep down he was gonna say no, right?”

You roll your eyes, refusing to look at Sweet Pea as he tries to get you to look at him, “I don’t wanna hear it, Pea.” You cross your arms, posture slumping sadly, “It was worth a shot, I suppose.”

Sweet Pea frowns as he watches your demeanor change, a quick fade from fury to melancholy, and he sighs, “Look, (Y/N), I’ll…” He sighs again, running a hand through his hair, briefly wondering if he’ll regret the decision he’s about to make, “I’ll talk to him. He likes me.”

You stop dead in your tracks, looking up at Sweet Pea, eyes wide in excitement, “You will?”

Sweet Pea just chuckles, folding his arms over his chest, the light chainmail jingling as it brushes together, “I will, but I make no promises.”

“That’s enough for me!” You beam, trying to hold in your excitement as you race off to your room to begin packing. 

—————-

A knock on your door startles you as you yank your packed suitcase from the bed, hiding it underneath as quickly as possible. 

“Are you decent, princesa?” Fangs, another knight, calls from the other side of the door, “It’s time for supper.”

“Coming!” You call, smoothing your dress down, attempting to look less frazzled than you are. You’re trying not to feel anxious about your father’s answer, but you can’t help it. You want this more than anyone could ever imagine. 

Fangs escorts you to the dining room, your head held high as you take your seat at the dinner table. 

It’s quiet, awkwardly so, for quite a few moments before the king clears his throat, “(Y/N), I think we need to talk about what happened earlier.”

You look over at him, unable to read his expression, which makes you feel even more nervous. 

“I believe I may have reacted too harshly,” Your father begins, an apologetic look on his face now, “You’re a grown woman, stuck here in the castle at all hours of the day. It’s only natural that you should want to explore. I will grant you your wish, you are free to leave come morning.”

You jump from your seat, rushing over to throw your arms around the king, smile so bright it could blind someone. “Oh, thank you so much, father! I can’t wait to explore what our kingdom has to offer, and on my own, no less! Oh, thank you!”

“Ah, ah, ah,” The king shakes his head, clicking his tongue as you let go of him, “You are only allowed to go on one condition.”

“Yes, anything.”

“You have to take Sweet Pea with you.”

You lock eyes with Sweet Pea, who stands a few feet away at the door, smug smirk on his face. Your eyes narrow and a pout tugs at your lips. 

“You’re joking, right?” You frown down at your father, who only shakes his head. 

“I trust him with your life, as I trust him with my own. He will be with you every step of the way, and you are not to leave his sight. Do you understand?”

You groan inwardly, crossing your arms over your chest. “Fine. I understand.”

Sweet Pea’s smirk only grows as he looks over at you, “We leave at dawn.”

“We leave when I say we leave,” You snap, not particularly happy with the circumstances. Sweet Pea was damn near insufferable most days, you couldn’t imagine having to spend an entire week with him. 

“Whatever you say, Princess.” Sweet Pea puts his hands up in surrender. 

“Exactly,” You roll your eyes, curtsying to the king, excusing yourself from dinner.

You start to leave the dining room, but turn to look at Sweet Pea before closing the door behind you, “Have my horse ready by dawn.”

“As you wish.”

————————

Dawn couldn’t come fast enough. 

You had spent the entire night too excited to sleep, buzzing with anticipation for all the things you might see. The people, the places, the _food_. All of the possibilities felt endless. 

You managed to get a good hour or two of rest in before you hear a knock at your door, a wake up call. 

“Time to get up, Princess!” Sweet Pea’s voice rang from behind the door, “We’ve got a lot of road ahead of us. Dress warmly.”

“Don’t tell me what to do,” You call back, rubbing at your tired eyes. 

“Then freeze,” Sweet Pea scoffs from behind the door. You can practically see the smirk on his face. 

You roll your eyes at him, a common occurrence you’ve noticed, and get out of bed to get ready. 

It only takes you a few minutes to get dressed, after double checking that you’ve packed everything you need. 

You grab your luggage, heading out the door, nearly hitting Sweet Pea with it as you emerge. 

“Christ, (Y/N)! Be careful.”

“Don’t stand so close.” You shrug, giving him a teasing smile as he scowls down at you. 

“That just makes me want to stand closer,” Sweet Pea counters, ornery and confident, his hand pressed firmly against the door as he backs you up into it. 

You feel your cheeks begin to heat up as he towers over you, close enough that his chainmail brushes against the fabric of your dress. 

No man has ever been quite so close to you, especially not Sweet Pea. It’s a foreign feeling, and you’re not sure how to feel about it all of a sudden. 

The smug look has returned to Sweet Pea’s face as he watches the cogs in your brain turn. 

“You’re not funny,” is all you say as you reach out to push Sweet Pea away, hand pressing into his chest. He’s warm, even through the chainmail, and for some reason, you aren’t sure if you want to move your hand or not. 

“I think I’m hilarious,” Sweet Pea murmurs, conceding. He steps out of your way as you snap out of it, scowling up at him. 

“Of course you do.”

——————

It doesn’t take long for you to say your goodbyes to the people in the castle, including your father, who tears up as you hop onto your horse, pure white with a braided mane, flowers tucked in to each large knot. 

“Be good, my child. Don’t give Sweet Pea too much grief.” He pats your leg. 

“We’ll see,” You tell him, a mischievous twinkle in your eye as you smile over at Sweet Pea. He just huffs. 

“We’ll be off, then,” Sweet Pea nods down at the king, atop his own horse, a jet black stallion adorned in golden barding, “I’ll keep your daughter safe.”

“We’ll see,” The king echoes you, shooting a pointed look at you, one that says _Behave, or else._

You just give him a bright smile before taking off on your horse in a hurry, practically leaving Sweet Pea in your dust. 

Sweet Pea only laughs at your enthusiasm as he follows after you. 

————-

The path to the village is long, but one of beauty. 

Large trees line the way, sun shining between the full leaves. A babbling brook flows along the path, the rushing sound like music to your ears. Flowers of every color, vibrant and bright, keep catching your eyes, tempting you to stop and pick them for safekeeping. 

You pull up on your horse’s reins, slowing down, to enjoy the nature around you. You don’t want this to pass you by. 

Sweet Pea, a few feet behind you, does the same, catching up to you. “Have you never seen nature before?” He jokes, looking over at you. 

“Only in books, or our gardens,” You sigh, ignoring the teasing look on his face as your eyes rake over the landscape, “Nothing like this.”

Sweet Pea falls silent, his eyebrows furrowed, but he softens as he catches your bewildered expression. An idea pops into his head, and he clears his throat to get your attention. 

“We need to get going,” He mumbles, trying to ignore the disappointment evident on your face. _Maybe this isn’t the right way to go about this, but the end result will be worth it_ , he thinks. 

When you realize pouting won’t work, you just huff and begin making your way down the path. 

“I know a shortcut,” Sweet Pea says, his horse trotting in front of yours, then off the path, “Follow me.”

You only nod, taking off after him, hoping that leaving so soon would be worth it. This was the one thing you had dreaded the minute it was announced that Sweet Pea had to accompany you; he has never seemed like the type to appreciate what the world has to offer. He’s moody and broody, and unbelievably headstrong. The type of man to rush through things just to get them done, not stopping to live in the moment. You don’t want to spend the whole trip frustrated with Sweet Pea, but it seems like it’s going to be that way. 

It’s silent between the two of you for quite some time, with you stewing behind Sweet Pea. Sweet Pea stares ahead, his anxious expression hidden from you. He feels bad for dragging you away from the flowers and the brook, especially after seeing how much you love it. But he knows something you don’t, something even more beautiful lying in the heart of the forest. 

Mere moments later, Sweet Pea halts to a stop in front of a wall of brush, gingerly getting off of his horse. He digs in the saddlebag for a moment, producing an apple and a paring knife, slicing the apple in half. He gives his horse a gentle pat, murmuring praise to it as he slips the apple in its mouth. He steps away from his horse and strides to your own, doing the same. 

“Where are we?” You question, still frustrated from earlier, “Why are we stopping? I thought we had a lot of road to cover.”

Sweet Pea sighs, extending a hand toward you to help you off your horse. You take it, begrudgingly, allowing him to help you down. He moves your hand to his shoulder, before reaching up to grip your waist tightly as you slide off the saddle. 

“Why are we here?” You ask again, still firmly in Sweet Pea’s hands, very aware of his grip.

“I have something to show you,” Sweet Pea mumbles, staring down at you. 

You turn to look at the wall of brush in front of you, cocking your head to the side, before looking back at him. “Is it this giant hedge? Because I’m less than intrigued, the path earlier was much more interesting than this, and…”

Sweet Pea puts a finger to your mouth, a scowl on his face, before softening, “Would you just trust me?”

You’re taken aback by the expression on his face, one you’ve never seen from Sweet Pea. He looks almost… vulnerable, and upon noticing, that foreign feeling returns, gripping at your chest. You once again become keenly aware of the hand still on your waist, and even more so of the finger pressed to your lips. You only nod, stepping away from him, trying to steady your heart rate. 

“Okay,” Sweet Pea breathes out, relieved. He gently places his hand over your eyes, spinning you around slowly, “Just trust me. Can you do that?”

You nod again, hands splayed out in front of you as he slowly inches you forward, careful to warn you of anything in your way. You feel his other arm reach around your shoulder, the sound of brush rustling surrounding you. You take a few more steps forward, Sweet Pea closer to you than ever, his body pressed to you, his feet falling in step behind you as he leads you through the hedge. 

“Okay,” Sweet Pea says again, lips brushing your ear ever so gently, and you resist the urge to shiver beneath him, “Open your eyes.”

It takes a moment for your eyes to adjust to the sunshine as his hand moves from your face, but when you do adjust, you’re met with the most spectacular sight you’ve ever seen. 

There’s an open field before you, wildflowers littering the area, yellow, purple, and red popping against the greenest grass you’ve ever laid eyes on. Behind the field is a rock lined body of water, a swimming hole, with a waterfall rushing down a cliff. The water is a magnificent cerulean, shimmering under the sun. 

“Sweet Pea,” You murmur, breathlessly, as you take a few steps out into the field. 

“Do you like it?” Sweet Pea asks, following after you. 

“ _Do I like it?_ ” You laugh, “I _love_ it!” You cry out, grabbing his hand and rushing out into the field. You start laughing again, stunned by the beauty around you, tugging Sweet Pea along. In the midst of your joy, you don’t notice a twig sticking out of the ground, and you trip, bringing Sweet Pea down with you. 

His reflexes react immediately, and he skillfully slides himself under you to break your fall. The king would kill him if you came back home with so much as a scraped knee. 

You can’t stop giggling as you land on him with a small thud, and he cradles your head before it crashes against his armored chest. 

“Sorry, lost my footing,” You give him a goofy smile, placing your hands under your chin, the cool metal of his armor chilling them. You stay there for a minute, just looking up at him, watching him. 

He lays with his head back against the grass, eyes trained on the sky, a small smile on his face like he’s trying not to laugh along with you. 

“You have to be more careful, Princess,” Sweet Pea says, peeking down at you, “You could have been hurt.”

“Well,” You pat his armor, turning over to lay on your back next to him, “Luckily, I have you.”

Sweet Pea looks over at you with a smirk, “You feel lucky to have me?”

You stiffen, unaware that you had said that. Your chest tightens again, “You know,” You cover up, pushing that feeling back down, “To break my fall.”

“Right,” Sweet Pea only chuckles, looking back toward the sky.

You try not to watch him, but you can’t help it. You’ve never really seen Sweet Pea in this light, both metaphorically and physically. The sun catches his hair just right, just enough for you to see just how dark it is. His hair curls right on his forehead, beading with sweat under the warm heat of the sun. His skin practically shines, looking surprisingly soft for someone with his occupation. His lip curls at the edge as you stare at him, and you realize he’s caught you. 

He doesn’t say anything, he just shifts a little, hand brushing against your own subtly. You’re thankful for the silence, having very quickly prepared yourself for him to tease you, but he only stares at the sky. You move your hand toward his a little more, interlocking your pointer finger with his. He stays silent. 

The two of you stay like that, enjoying each other’s company, hearts racing in secret. 

“Look,” Sweet Pea finally breaks the silence, pointing toward the sky, “That cloud looks like a fish.”

“So it does,” You giggle, eyes following his finger, before looking around at the clouds, “That one looks like a baby.”

“So it does,” Sweet Pea echoes, laughing with you. 

“Hey,” You murmur, turning over on your side to look at him. 

“Yeah?” Sweet Pea asks, mimicking your pose, soft smile on his face. 

“You wanna go for a swim?” 

Sweet Pea almost snorts, “Do you even know how to swim? Just an hour ago, you had never even seen a flower.”

There it is. Way to ruin a moment, Sweet Pea. 

You reach over and thump his forehead gently, “Of course I know how to swim, you buffoon, now come on. Before I change my mind.”

“Did you just thump me?” Sweet Pea rubs at his forehead, eyebrows furrowed. 

“I sure did,” You beam, standing up and brushing the grass from your dress, “And I’ll do it again if you don’t get your ass in gear and come swim with me.”

“As you wish, Princess.”

—————-

As you stride up to the edge of the swimming hole, you realize one very important thing: you haven’t brought anything to swim in. 

From the smirk on Sweet Pea’s face, it’s obvious he’s realized the same thing. 

“Stop looking at me like that.” You can’t help but blush under his gaze, “You pervert.”

Sweet Pea tilts his head back as he laughs heartily at you, “Will it make you feel better if I go first?”

“...Yes.” You nod, refusing to look at him, “Thank you.”

Sweet Pea just laughs again as he shucks his chest piece, chain mail under it, atop a beige, billowing shirt. He rids himself of those as well, and does the same with the bottom half of his armor, then his pants, leaving himself standing in only his drawers. 

You resist the urge to sneak a peek, hands working at your own dress, “Don’t look, okay? Just… help me unlace this dress, please.” You huff, already having trouble with it. 

Sweet Pea gives another light chuckle as you turn away from him, obliging. He stands over you, heat already radiating from his bare chest, nearly making you sweat. His hands work skillfully, and you inwardly shudder as his warm hand grazes the skin of your back. He finishes unlacing the dress, gingerly sliding it down your shoulders, stopping to grip both of your arms, lips at your ear once again.

“Last one in has to do the laundry for the rest of the week,” Sweet Pea chuckles, before letting go of your dress and racing for the swimming hole. 

You snap out of it as the dress falls to the ground, “Not fair, Sweet Pea!” You yelp, tripping over your dress as you try to step out of it. 

Sweet Pea lets out another loud laugh, and then a whoop as he cannonballs into the water, the splash hitting you in the face as you catch up to him. 

You jump in after him, the cool water sending a shiver down your spine as you plunge under it.

“Looks like you’re doing laundry,” Sweet Pea grins as you come back up for air, standing on your tiptoes against the soft mud. 

You just splash at him, and he stares at you in mock shock. You do it again, sticking your tongue out, and he retaliates quickly, splashing at you with zeal. You swim over to him, rushing behind him in an attempt to dunk him under the water, he’s too quick and too strong for you. Instead, he grabs for your legs and wraps them around his torso, and you’re briefly dunked under instead before wrapping your arms around his neck, resting your head on his shoulder with a giggle. 

“You know, (Y/N), I didn’t know you were actually _fun_ ,” Sweet Pea teases, craning his neck a little to look at you. 

You shrug, tilting your head to look back at him, “There’s a lot you don’t know about me, really.”

“I bet I could say the same,” Sweet Pea smiles softly, letting go of your legs, and you lean back to float away from him a little, trying not to show disappointment at the lack of contact. 

“It would only make sense, we only really speak in passing,” You tell him, treading water. He turns around to look at you as you speak, “I don’t think I really know _anything_ about you. I don’t even know your real name.”

Sweet Pea mumbles something unintelligible and you quirk an eyebrow, making your way over to him. 

“What was that?” You push, standing a little closer to him now. 

“Wehm,” Sweet Pea tries again, his arms folded over his chest. 

“One more time?” 

Sweet Pea unfolds his arms, throwing them up in the air, before dropping them into the water. “Wesley. My name is Wesley.”

“Wesley,” You repeat, thoughtfully. 

Sweet Pea covers his face, “If you’re gonna make fun of me,” He mumbles against his hands, “Save it.”

You just smile softly, reaching out and removing his hands from his face, holding them in your own, “I think it’s a lovely name.”

Sweet Pea visibly blushes, an act that catches even him off guard, and he clears his throat. “We, uh.. We should get going. We’ve still got quite a trip before we reach the village.”

You frown a little, stepping away from him, swimming back to the edge of the swimming hole, hoisting yourself up and over the rocks. 

It’s quiet while the two of you get dressed again, save for the clinking of Sweet Pea’s armor and the waterfall rushing away behind you.

You reach around yourself to lace your dress back up, but Sweet Pea is already behind you, starting to lace it for you. 

“Hey, (Y/N),” He breaks the silence, and you look at him over your shoulder, “Thank you for letting me show you this... for trusting me. I had a lot of fun.”

“Me too,” You smile at him, “Thank you for trusting me with your real name. I’m glad you did.”

Sweet Pea’s hands pause their work and he clears his throat, smiling down at you. 

“I’m glad I did too.”

—————-

Conversation comes easily as you both ride for the village, telling each other stories about your childhoods and funny incidents in the castle. 

Sweet Pea tells you a few stories about his many adventures with Fangs that make you laugh so hard you almost fall off your horse. He scolds you afterward. 

You tell him about all the books you’ve read, recounting many tales that made you want to make this trip in the first place. He tells you how honored he feels to be on this trip with you. You almost fall off your horse again when he says it, catching you off guard. He, thankfully, doesn’t scold you afterward. 

The two of you switch between riveting conversation and comfortable silence for the next few hours, just enjoying each other’s company before arriving in the village. 

It’s dark by the time you arrive, the air is still and most lights are out within the neighborhoods, but the tavern and inn is lively with people. 

Sweet Pea helps you tie your horses in the small stable beside the tavern, feeding them half an apple each. He allows you to lead the way, his hand on the small of your back as he walks beside you. 

You step into the tavern, met with laughter and hollering and the scent of mead, and it fills your heart with glee. The kingdom was less than rowdy unless it was a special occasion, and quite frankly, boring as hell most days. The thought of being a part of something like this every night feels exciting, but you can’t ignore how tired you feel after a long day of travel. 

Sweet Pea watches as you try to conceal a yawn. 

“Tired, Princess?”

“A little,” You respond, a small fib, because you feel _exhausted._ “I’ll just get a room, if you want to stay up and enjoy a meal and some mead.”

“I don’t want to stay up without you,” Sweet Pea shrugs, blushing a little as you look over at him, “This is your trip, too. We’ll plan to spend some time here tomorrow. Let’s get us some rooms.”

Sweet Pea squeezes past you, and you grab his hand as he passes, not wanting to lose him in the small crowd. He stiffens a little, but keeps moving toward the front desk, hand clasped tightly in yours. 

“We need two rooms, please,” Sweet Pea tells the woman at the front desk as he arrives. The woman looks him over, then does the same to you, her eyes drifting slowly to your interlocked hands. 

“Looks like you two would be fine in one room,” She smirks, winking at the two of you. 

“Two rooms, thank you,” Sweet Pea grumbles, dropping your hand gently, ignoring the small pout on your face. 

“I only have one room. With one bed.”

Sweet Pea scowls, “I’m sorry, do you know who we are? We asked for two. Surely there’s something you can do.”

“I know exactly who you are,” The woman smiles softly, “One room. One bed. That’s my offer, or you can pitch a tent and sleep outside.”

Sweet Pea’s scowl grows deeper and you step in front of him, pulling a small bag of gold out of your pocket, setting it on the desk. “That will be just fine, thank you, miss.”

“Appreciate it, Your Majesty.” The woman grins, sliding a small key across the desk, pocketing the gold, “Enjoy your stay, but not too much. These walls are thin,” She winks. 

You just let out a nervous giggle as Sweet Pea flushes, reaching for the key at the same time you do. Another nervous giggle leaves you as your hands touch, Sweet Pea yanking the key from the desk and stomping off toward the stairs. 

“Quite the handful, isn’t he?” The woman teases as you watch him leave. 

“You have no idea.” You roll your eyes, giving her a small wave as you rush after Sweet Pea. 

————-

“I can sleep on the floor,” Sweet Pea says as you reach the room, “I’ve slept in worse places.”

“I can’t in good conscience let you sleep on the floor,” You tell him, with a small frown, “I’m sure the bed will be big enough for the two of us.”

As Sweet Pea swings the door open, you both realize how wrong the statement is. 

The best word to describe the room is _cozy._ It’s a fairly nice room for a tavern, but still small. A bed sits in the center, big enough for one person, but not for _two._

“So… it’ll be a tight fit, but, that’s okay.” You mumble, watching as Sweet Pea starts setting your luggage down on the floor. “I, uh… I don’t mind.”

“You don’t?” Sweet Pea asks, eyebrows raised as he straightens back up. 

You bite your lip, shaking your head, avoiding his gaze, “Do… do you?”

Sweet Pea shakes his head, a soft smile on his face. “No,” He murmurs, “I don’t.”

You just nod, looking down at your feet, rocking back and forth on your heels for a minute, “...Good. Good.”

“Good,” Sweet Pea echoes, unsure of how to proceed. “Do you… want to change out of your dress? I can wait outside.”

You let out a soft laugh, “Sweet Pea, you’ve seen me undressed already. Don’t make this any weirder than it needs to be.”

“Right,” Sweet Pea chuckles, facepalming a tad, “You’re right, my bad.”

“You can get comfortable too, if you like. I can’t imagine you want to sleep in that armor.”

“Wouldn’t be the first time,” Sweet Pea shrugs, and you give him a look. “Alright, fine, I’ll get comfortable.”

You turn away from him as he undresses out of instinct, twiddling your thumbs, trying not to peek, as you had done earlier. 

“Um,” You hear Sweet Pea’s throat clear, and you look over your shoulder at him, “I think… I think my chainmail is stuck to my shirt? Could you, uh…” He clears his throat again, “Help me please?”

You nod, making your way over to him to inspect the chainmail. “Looks like you have a stray thread tangled, I don’t know how you’ve managed that, honestly.” You give a light laugh, laughing a little harder at his sour expression. “May I?” You gesture at the tangle. 

“Well, I asked for your help, didn’t I?” Sweet Pea snarks, frown on his face. 

You just roll your eyes and run your fingers over the tangle, trying to inspect it from different angles, “Okay, I think I can figure this out,” You murmur, “My hands might be a little cold, so bear with me.”

“Why would that - _oh_ ,” Sweet Pea’s breath hitches as you slide a hand under his shirt to get a better feel for the tangle. Your chilled hand grazes the warm skin of his stomach, sending a shiver down his spine. 

“Sorry,” You wince, giggling a little as he shrugs, his face flushing out of view. 

“S’fine,” He murmurs, watching your hands work at the tangle. 

You struggle for a few moments before you look up at him, a slight nervous expression forming on your face, “I, um, think you’ll have to take this off.”

“How brash, a lady trying to see me in my underthings?” Sweet Pea smirks, and you roll your eyes. 

“You asked for my help, didn’t you? This is my only solution.”

“Fine, fine,” Sweet Pea chuckles softly, “Shirt’s coming off.” 

You remove your hand from under his shirt as he makes quick work of the garment, despite the tangle in the shirt. He yanks a little too hard and the shirt rips, a large strip of cloth coming off onto the chainmail. 

“Alright, well, I guess that solves that problem,” You mumble, eyes trained on the strip of cloth, to avoid coming face to face with Sweet Pea’s bare torso, “I take it you brought another shirt?”

“Bold of you to assume I own another shirt,” The statement comes with a joking tone, but he couldn’t be more serious. He only has the one. 

Your eyes widen slightly as you realize he’s telling the truth. Not only do you have to share a bed with Sweet Pea, but you have to share a bed with a _shirtless_ Sweet Pea. Your chest tightens with a feeling you’re now too familiar with, and your ears begin to heat up. 

“Do you need help with your dress again?” Sweet Pea’s question pulls you from your thoughts, and you nod slowly, unsure if you can trust yourself enough to let him. 

Sweet Pea doesn’t say anything, he only places himself in front of you, hands on your shoulders to turn you gently. His hands are at the laces of your dress once again, but something feels different this time. He works unhurriedly, as if savoring the moment, pulling the lace through each hole slowly and carefully. 

As he finishes, his fingertips trail up each of your shoulders softly, your skin ablaze with each feather-light movement. He slides your sleeves down gradually, and suddenly, his hands are gone, leaving an empty sort of heaviness behind. 

“You should probably get ready for bed,” Sweet Pea clears his throat again, face heating up as he turns away from you, rummaging in the luggage as if he’s searching for something. 

You don’t look at him, trying to ignore the weight in your chest. “Right, yes, you’re right.” You mumble, clutching your dress to your chest, suddenly embarrassed. You turn to move to your luggage, but Sweet Pea’s hand is already outstretched to you with your nightgown, but he doesn’t look at you. 

You frown, the weight in your chest feeling hollow as you snatch it from him hurriedly. 

“I’ll get us some water,” Sweet Pea mumbles, excusing himself. 

“You do that,” You scoff, as you hear the door latch behind him. 

You drop your dress and rid yourself of your undergarments before slipping your nightgown on, silk soft and cold against your skin, still warm and tingly from Sweet Pea’s touch. 

You sigh to yourself as your mind returns to the few similar incidents that had happened earlier that day: the way Sweet Pea had held you so gingerly as he led you through the hedge, how it felt to be wrapped around him in the water, how his lips felt against the shell of your ear, the way he seemed to lose control just moments ago. 

It’s been a rather confusing day for you, no doubt about it. You’ve seen Sweet Pea in such a new light, he’s no longer just someone who works for your father, he’s a friend, but a friend you want more from. Given all the signs you’ve received from him, it seems like he could feel the same way. He told you his real name, for God’s sake. That has to mean something, _right_?

You sigh again, shaking your head. There’s no use imagining what could be if he keeps bolting the second things get a little too real. 

You fold your dress and undergarments neatly, placing them atop the small dresser before climbing into bed, pulling the covers to your chin, settling against the soft mattress. 

You’re nearly drifting off when Sweet Pea returns, gently setting a glass of water beside you, on the nightstand. 

“Thanks,” You mumble, snuggling deeper into the bed, not looking at him. 

“No problem,” He responds, making his way to the other side of the bed, slipping his boots off before getting into bed, trying not to get too close. You look over your shoulder to peek at him, and notice he’s laying right at the edge of the bed. 

“Sweet Pea,” You sigh, turning over, “You can scoot closer to me. This doesn’t have to be weird.”

Sweet Pea only nods, scooting over so he can get comfortable, his arm brushing against yours.

“Better?”

“Much better, thanks, (Y/N),” Sweet Pea smiles softly, settling in and closing his eyes. 

“No problem,” You tell him, closing your eyes as well. 

Sweet Pea falls asleep in no time, and right as you turn over to drift off to sleep, he snakes an arm around you, pulling you closer to him. 

You blush, a blush that spreads through your entire body, and you turn over gently, coming face to face with Sweet Pea, still snoring away. 

You can’t help what happens next, you run your hand over his cheek, rubbing your thumb against his skin gently. 

“Now who’s making this weird?” Sweet Pea mumbles sleepily, a teasing smile on his face. 

You flinch a little, taken by surprise, but you don’t move your hand. 

“You’ve been making things weird all day,” You remind him, smile matching his. 

“Would you hate me if I made it weirder?” Sweet Pea’s eyes open and he stares deeply into yours, tentative look on his face. 

You can’t find any words, no matter how badly you want to tell him that is a terrible line. You just shake your head as he leans in closer. 

As his lips meet yours, you suddenly understand why people use the phrase ‘sparks flying.’ You feel as though you’ve been struck by lightning, excitement jolting through you as Sweet Pea’s lips move against yours. He shifts and pulls you as close to him as he can, the soft fabric of your nightgown balled in his hand, the other moving to cradle your head.

You take the opportunity to move yourself, throwing a leg over his waist as you move on top of him, causing his breath to hitch in his throat. Your hands settle on his bare chest, his skin alight at your touch, warming your cold hands. 

He sighs softly as your hands move up his chest to his face, and he rakes his hands up your legs, bring your dress up further and further. He pulls away from you, dress still in his hands, as he looks to you for approval. You nod and hold your arms up, shivering as his hands trail up your body, your dress lifted over your head. He takes a moment to look you over, hands resting firmly on your waist, breath heavy. 

Your chest clenches at the way he looks at you, as if you’re the most beautiful thing he’s ever seen. 

Then something in his expression changes. He looks almost panicked, wide eyed as he rolls you off of him. 

“Sweet Pea, what are you…?” You’re cut off as he climbs out of bed again, hurriedly putting his boots back on, searching for a coat. 

“Why do you keep doing this?” You question, deep frown settling on your face. 

“I’m so sorry, (Y/N),” He doesn’t look at you, “I shouldn’t be doing this.”

You open your mouth to ask him why, but he’s out the door before you can. 

_You can’t get away that easily,_ You think, _Not this time._

You throw your nightgown back on and slip on a pair of houseshoes and follow after him. 

You find Sweet Pea outside, rain pouring down on him as he stands with his head in his hands. 

“Sweet Pea, stop running from me!” You yell, already drenched as you make your way over to him, “Why do you keep toying with me like this?”

Sweet Pea doesn’t move.

“Hello, I’m talking to you!” You groan, getting in his face this time, “You’ve been messing with me _all damn day!_ This isn’t fair to me! Is this just some joke to you? Why are you-“

“Because I’m in love with you!” Sweet Pea tears his hands away from his face, water springing from his coat as he grips you by the shoulders, startling you. 

“I’ve been in love with you since your father hired me.” He murmurs, face falling, “And I can’t be in love with you. You’re a princess, I’m the hired help. Shit doesn’t work like that.”

You don’t know what to say, heart pounding away as Sweet Pea stares at you, clearly in emotional turmoil. 

“I’ve been trying to push these feelings down all day and it’s clearly not working,” Sweet Pea sighs, “But we can’t do this.”

“What if I want this too?” You ask, throwing your hands in the air out of frustration, “Did you ever stop and think about that?”

Sweet Pea’s eyes go wide, “You… you do?”

“Sweet Pea,” You roll your eyes, taking his hands off of your shoulders, holding them in your own, “I was just on top of you like five minutes ago,” You try to lighten the mood. 

Sweet Pea lets out a small chuckle, gripping your hands tightly. 

“I’m willing to give this a shot,” You tell him, letting go of his hands to hold his face in your hands, “We can make this work. We’ll figure it out.”

“You really mean it?” Sweet Pea’s face softens under your touch and you nod. 

“I mean it.” You beam, patting his cheek, “Now, what do you say we go back to bed?”

Sweet Pea lets out a laugh, shooting you a wink, “Lead the way, Princess.”

**Author's Note:**

> (sorry it’s not 100% historically accurate jes hehe)


End file.
